MM 99

At the same time, as soon as Mrs. Lee noticed Yu-young, she gave him a slight nod in greeting.

“Did you just arrive?”

“Yes, Mother. Hello.”

Yu-young, with a nervous expression, bowed to Mrs. Lee and offered her the bouquet he had been holding.

“What’s this?”

“Ah, since this is our first meeting… I just wanted to prepare something simple as a token of my feelings.”

But Mrs. Lee, casting a quick glance at the bouquet, waved her hand dismissively as if it was a hassle.

“Alright, thank you. It looks heavy, so hold onto it for me.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Seeing Mrs. Lee’s expression, which clearly indicated annoyance, Yu-young immediately regretted buying the flowers. She didn’t seem happy at all, and he wondered if he had made a mistake bringing them. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even opened the tea set he had brought the last time he visited their home. Feeling frustrated, he firmly decided never to bring such gifts again.

Though hurt, he was about to toss the bouquet aside, but as he looked at the delicate flowers with droplets of water clinging to their petals and the pleasant fragrance drifting up, he hesitated. After all, what did the flowers do wrong? Maybe he’d just carry them around for today. It was during this thought that someone spoke up.

“Mother.”

A neat voice called out from right next to him. It was a man’s voice, but one with a gentle tone.

Yu-young quickly turned his head. A young man was walking toward Mrs. Lee, greeting her in a friendly manner.

He looked about the same age as Do-won. He was taller than Yu-young, with refined features and an elegant, graceful aura. His suit was clearly top-notch, and the scent that lingered around him could only be the pheromones of a dominant Omega.

‘…What’s going on?’

Yu-young’s face registered shock as he alternated his gaze between the man’s face and Mrs. Lee’s.

“…But Mother, who is this?”

“Ah, hello.”

The man smiled politely and stepped closer to Yu-young, confidently extending his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sun-hyung, Do-won’s friend.”

“…Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Han Yu-young.”

Yu-young, still in a daze, shook his hand lightly while introducing himself.

‘He’s a friend of the Team leader …’

This was his first time meeting anyone close to Do-won, aside from family. It felt almost surreal, like meeting an alien. It wasn’t that Do-won didn’t have friends, but for some reason, meeting someone from his circle made everything feel oddly new.

But not all of his feelings were curiosity or fondness. Honestly, the strongest emotion in him was confusion. Mrs. Lee had specifically asked him to meet with her alone today, so why was Do-won’s friend here too?

As Yu-young stood there, bewildered, Mrs. Lee smiled warmly.

“I wanted to pick a present for Do-won’s birthday, but since you two just got married, I’m sure you wouldn’t know his preferences. So I thought you might have a hard time. Then, it just so happened that Sun-hyung was available, and I called him. He’s been a friend for a long time and knows Do-won very well.”

“…Ah… I see.”

Her tone, while sounding polite, carried an undercurrent of something uncomfortable. Yu-young found it difficult to respond quickly to this strange situation. As he fumbled for words, Sun-hyung, now standing next to Mrs. Lee, gently stepped closer and stood beside her.

“Shall we go inside, Mother? We can eat first, and then pick out the gift.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Let’s go, Yu-young.”

Despite speaking kindly, Sun-hyung immediately turned away from Yu-young, walking toward Mrs. Lee and matching her pace. To anyone watching, it almost looked like he was her son, so naturally did they walk together. Yu-young, left behind, had no choice but to follow them.

As he walked down the long corridor toward the private room with the guide, Yu-young instinctively recalled something Do-won had told him before.

He had said that there was an old friend whom his family had hoped he would marry. That’s why he had proposed a contract marriage to Yu-young, instead of going through with a traditional arranged marriage.

And now, standing closely beside Mrs. Lee, engaging in an intimate conversation with her, was this man—Do-won’s old friend.

Could that man be the one Do-won mentioned last time? The moment the thought crossed his mind, Yu-young’s fist clenched instinctively. His heart began to pound uncomfortably, caught off guard by the situation.

‘What the hell is going on? Is this some kind of joke?’

It wasn’t confirmed yet, but he couldn’t believe Mrs. Lee would go this far, even if she disliked him. However, if that man really was the one Do-won had mentioned, Yu-young would be left speechless, and he might just lose his cool.

‘Why is he here? And what? You brought him because I don’t know the Team Leader’s tastes?’

Yu-young let out a dry laugh, incredulous. He admitted he didn’t know Do-won’s preferences well yet—after all, he’d been agonizing over what gift to buy just last night.

But even so, what kind of situation was this—where a friend of Do-won’s, possibly even his former intended marriage partner, was brought along for a private dinner after their marriage?

Nothing about this was normal. No matter what, his parents didn’t know about their contract marriage, so why was this happening?

He felt like he’d just been blindsided. Yesterday, he had thought that Mrs. Lee was trying to get closer to him, but now, he felt like a fool for believing it.

Should he just walk out? Honestly, the thought crossed his mind, but suddenly a strange determination began to rise within him.

‘Where would I even go? I’m not running away.’

Whatever Mrs. Lee’s reasons were for arranging this, it was clear she wasn’t doing it with pure intentions of getting along. But if he left in anger, what would happen next? They’d probably twist the story and tell Do-won he had stormed off. The idea of them talking behind his back made him feel furious.

‘What if they tell Do-won, “Yu-young couldn’t even stay for dinner after meeting for ten minutes”? “How could he leave when an adult invited him?” “What kind of idiot marries someone like that?”’

The thought of them saying that to Do-won, all while smiling in their usual elegant way, made Yu-young’s fighter instinct stir awake.

He couldn’t let this slide. He needed to confirm if that man was really the one involved in the arranged marriage story, and if so, he would eat his meal without backing down, choosing the best birthday gift to present to Do-won with pride.

As Yu-young was making this decision with a sense of resolve while still holding the bouquet, the staff guided the three of them into the room. Inside the neatly decorated, elegant room, they sat at a round table, spaced apart.

“Would you like help with the order?”

The menu offered two main courses: Course A, featuring seafood, and Course B, focused on meats. Yu-young, with a determined expression, glanced over the menu.

Even so, there were a number of dishes that caught his eye. Since he was already here to eat, unauthorized copyhe decided to make the most of it. Fueled by determination, he chose Course B, which had lamb chops as the main dish.

Just then, Lee Sun-hyung’s voice rang out.

“Mother, I’m guessing you’ll go with Course A?”

“Mm, yes. I don’t like lamb chops, remember?”

“Of course. I’ve been dining with you long enough to know that.”

Their sweet conversation filled the air. Yu-young, unable to mask his disbelief, wore a face that clearly said “this is ridiculous,” but it seemed neither Mrs. Lee nor Sun-hyung even noticed.

“Sun-hyung, don’t you like lamb chops?”

“Well, today I’ll have the same as Mother. Yu-young, will you be having Course A as well?”

Sun-hyung, still smiling at Mrs. Lee, casually turned to Yu-young and asked. His tone implied it was a given, but Yu-young firmly shook his head.

“No, I’ll go with B.”

When it came to food, Yu-young wasn’t about to let anyone force their preferences on him. As he stubbornly chose the different course, he could feel Mrs. Lee’s disapproving gaze on him.

“Honestly, so picky. No wonder the comparison is inevitable.”

Muttering to herself in a voice barely audible, Mrs. Lee gestured to the staff.

“Please bring Course A for me and this side, and Course B for this one.”

“Understood.”

Yu-young took a sip of water, still trying to process why he was even here. He wasn’t sure what Mrs. Lee’s exact intentions were in bringing him and that man together for this meeting, but he knew he had to stay alert.

Soon, light appetizers were brought to the table. As Sun-hyung, with controlled grace, took a bite, he leaned slightly toward Yu-young.

“Yu-young, it’s nice to meet you. It’s still so surprising that Do-won is married.”

“Ah… yes.”

His words, delivered in a bright, casual tone, felt dishonest, and Yu-young responded curtly. Sun-hyung noticed his guarded expression and smiled gently.

With a composed look, Sun-hyung seemed to be waiting for the right moment to ask a question. Yu-young, feeling the time had come, decided to ask what had been on his mind.

“Sun-hyung, I have a question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Sun-hyung smiled leisurely, making himself approachable, and Yu-young, without hesitation, asked boldly.

“Are you the friend that Do-won mentioned, the one he was supposed to marry?”